"The bulk of this report is based on data collected by a survey of more than 80,000 people in 40 markets and reflects media usage in January/February just before the coronavirus hit many of these countries. But the key trends that we document here, including changes in how people access news, low tr
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ust, and rising concern about misinformation have been a backdrop against which journalists, editors, politicians, and public health officials have been battling to reach ordinary people with key messages over the last few months.We know that this crisis has substantially increased the amount and frequency of news consumption as well as influenced attitudes to the news media, at least temporarily. We’ve captured this in a second set of polling data collected in April when the crisis was at its peak in some countries. This has helped us to see the impact of the crisis in terms of sources of news and also reminded us of the critical role that the news media play at times of national crisis, including documenting that people who rely on news media are better informed about the virus than those who do not. While many media companies have been enjoying record audience figures, news fatigue is also setting in, and the short-term and long-term economic impact of the crisis is likely to be profound – advertising budgets are slashed and a recession looms, threatening news media, some of whom are struggling with adapting to a changing world. Against this background, this year’s report also focuses on the shift towards paying for online news in many countries across the world, with detailed analysis of progress in three countries (the UK, USA, and Norway). This year, our report carries important data about the extent to which people value and trust local news, perhaps the sector most vulnerable to the economic shocks that will inevitably follow the health crisis itself. And we also explore the way people access news about climate change as well as attitudes to media coverage for the first time." (Foreword)
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"Radio remains the leading source of media news for adult Zimbabweans. Six out of 10 citizens (59%) said they get news regularly (“every day” or “a few times a week”) via the radio, compared to 33% for television and 17% for newspapers. About one in five citizens get news regularly from soci
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al media (21%) and the Internet (18%). But “other people” surpass all media channels as a regular source of news, cited by almost two-thirds (64%) of respondents. News habits have changed little in Zimbabwe in recent years. Only social media shows significant recent growth as a regular news source. Urban and rural residents differ sharply in their news habits. For example, while television beats out radio in cities (69% vs. 63%), only 12% of rural inhabitants regularly get TV news. Most Zimbabweans (95%) own a mobile phone or live in a household where someone else owns one. But only 43% of those phones have access to the Internet. About three-fourths (73%) of citizens own or have access to radios, compared to 48% for televisions and 23% for computers. Poor citizens are less likely to own communications devices and to access the Internet than their better-off counterparts. Religious leaders are the most trusted institution in Zimbabwe, making them a potentially valuable conduit for information during the COVID-19 pandemic." (Key findings, page 2)
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"The 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer reveals that despite a strong global economy and near full employment, none of the four societal institutions that the study measures—government, business, NGOs and media—is trusted. The cause of this paradox can be found in people’s fears about the future and
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their role in it, which are a wake-up call for our institutions to embrace a new way of effectively building trust: balancing competence with ethical behavior." (https://www.edelman.com)
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"Die Medien haben in den letzten 10 Jahren in Polen deutlich an Glaubwürdigkeit eingebüßt – gleichzeitig ist in der Bevölkerung das politische Interesse und Engagement gestiegen. Die auseinandergehende Wahrnehmung der Politik in den Bevölkerungsgruppen formt der unterschiedliche Medienkonsum.
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Die Vielzahl unterschiedlicher und widersprüchlicher Informationen in den Medien führt zu einer Erhärtung vorbestehender Meinungen und dem Emporkommen sog. informeller Meinungsführer." (Seite 1)
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"Magdalena Obermaier untersucht in ihrer Studie, welche Faktoren das Vertrauen in journalistische Medien erklären. Dazu greift die Autorin insbesondere auf die psychologische, politologische und kommunikationswissenschaftliche (Vertrauens-) Forschung zurück und systematisiert mögliche Erklärgrö
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ßen des Vertrauens in journalistische Medien. Deren relative Bedeutung prüft sie im Rahmen einer für die deutsche Bevölkerung repräsentativen Befragung. Die Befunde zeigen, dass Vertrauen in journalistische Medien und Mediengattungen sowohl durch soziopolitische Merkmale der Rezipienten, als auch durch auf die mediale Performanz bezogene Erklärgrößen, wie Mediennutzung und Bewertungen journalistischer Qualität, bedingt werden kann." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"Das SVR-Integrationsbarometer misst die Sichtweisen und Bewertungen auf beiden Seiten der Einwanderungsgesellschaft. Meistgenutztes Medium für politische Nachrichten ist bei Menschen mit Migrationshintergrund das Fernsehen. Wichtigste Faktoren für die Mediennutzung von Migranten sind Bildung und
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deutsche Sprachkenntnisse. Auch das Vertrauen in deutsche Medien ist bei Migranten mit höherer Bildung größer. Bei Zugewanderten, die bereits länger in Deutschland leben, vergrößert sich die Medienskepsis." (Kurz und knapp, Seite 626)
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"This study was specfically intended to: 1. provide comprehensive insight into the public’s media consumption patterns, and its underlying causes: a) values; b) needs and interests, particularly regarding media content; c) motivation and aspirations, with specific emphasis on buying media content;
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d) financial functioning and attitudes towards different types of payment systems, etc. and 2. provide comprehensive analysis and recommendations to inform the Strengthening Media Systems Activity (SMS) programmatic approach in all aspects of media sustainability, as well as to inform organizational and business strategies and tactics of different types of media outlets on the local, regional and national levels. The research implemented in 2019 combined a variety of methods (both quantitative and qualitative) and techniques (a face-to-face-survey and computer-assisted web interviewing, or CAWI), and targeted a number of groups – a representative sample of 1500 respondents age 15 to 65 for the face-to-face survey, a sample of 100 daily internet users for web interviews, and 96 internet and local media users aged 15 to 65 for the 12 focus group discussions in Belgrade, Niš, Kragujevac, Novi Sad, Sombor, Loznica, and Zajecar. The key aim of the research was to gain an in-depth understanding of the needs, habits, and expectations of the audience, in order to facilitate rational and informed discussion about the media sector and public attitudes; and strategic decision-making by media businesses, with the starting assumption that understanding audience needs and profiling target groups constitutes integral parts of any media business strategy in terms of both preparing and formatting media content. Thus, the study was structured to facilitate the achievement of SMS objectives and to provide directions for SMS strategic and operational interventions in the following areas: 1. Content production and editorial policy, 2. Content sources and formats, 3. Interaction and community involvement, and 4. Financial sustainability." (Abstract, page 2-3)
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"Despite the efforts of the news industry, we find only a small increase in the numbers paying for any online news – whether by subscription, membership, or donation. Growth is limited to a handful of countries mainly in the Nordic region (Norway 34%, Sweden 27%) while the number paying in the US
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(16%) remains stable after a big jump in 2017. • Even in countries with higher levels of payment, the vast majority only have ONE online subscription – suggesting that ‘winner takes all’ dynamics are likely to be important. One encouraging development though is that most payments are now ‘ongoing’, rather than one-offs. In some countries, subscription fatigue may also be setting in, with the majority preferring to spend their limited budget on entertainment (Netflix/Spotify) rather than news. With many seeing news as a ‘chore’, publishers may struggle to substantially increase the market for high-priced ‘single title’ subscriptions. As more publishers launch pay models, over two-thirds (70%) of our sample in Norway and half (50%) in the United States now come across one or more barriers each week when trying to read online news. In many countries, people are spending less time with Facebook and more time with WhatsApp and Instagram than this time last year. Few users are abandoning Facebook entirely, though, and it remains by far the most important social network for news. Social communication around news is becoming more private as messaging apps continue to grow everywhere. WhatsApp has become a primary network for discussing and sharing news in non-Western countries like Brazil (53%) Malaysia (50%), and South Africa (49%). People in these countries are also far more likely than in the West to be part of large WhatsApp groups with people they don’t know – a trend that reflects how messaging applications can be used to easily share information at scale, potentially encouraging the spread of misinformation. Public and private Facebook Groups discussing news and politics have become popular in Turkey (29%) and Brazil (22%) but are much less used in Western countries such as Canada (7%) or Australia (7%). Concern about misinformation and disinformation remains high despite efforts by platforms and publishers to build public confidence. In Brazil 85% agree with a statement that they are worried about what is real and fake on the internet." (Summary, page 9)
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"This book gives an overview of public service media in South East Europe; referring to the ten countries, which the Media Programme of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung covers. From Croatia to North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the Republic of Moldova, liberalised media markets have emerged following the c
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ollapse of socialism and its state-controlled media systems. State broadcasters have become public service media. For the first time, essential information about individual public broadcasters is being gathered. Media experts from the respective countries write, among other things, about the history, the legal framework, the financing model and organisational structures in place. The chapters are supplemented with the results of a recent representative opinion poll commissioned by the Media Programme and conducted by the research institute Ipsos. We have asked the same six questions in all ten countries. In the results summarised for the entire region, two answers are very clear: almost 70 percent of respondents say that public service media are important for democracy. Unfortunately, almost 65 percent see these channels under political influence. In South Europe, in particular, this discrepancy becomes visible and audible at demonstrations when people take to the streets against their government. Then usually public service media are focus of protests and have been criticised as mouthpieces of the government." (Preface)
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"This book examines the shifting role of media trust in a digital world, and critically analyzes how news and stories are created, distributed and consumed. Emphasis is placed on the current challenges and possible solutions to regain trust and restore credibility. The book reveals the role of trust
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in communication, in society and in media, and subsequently addresses media at the crossroads, as evinced by phenomena like gatekeepers, echo chambers and fake news. The following chapters explore truth and trust in journalism, the role of algorithms and robots in media, and the relation between social media and individual trust. The book then presents case studies highlighting how media creates trust in the contexts of brands and businesses, politics and non-governmental organizations, science and education." (Publisher description)
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"In chapter 2, the book lays down its foundations with a review of a large body of experimental psychology research on how and why individuals can preserve their beliefs, sometimes in the face of all evidence, logic, and argument to the contrary. The second part of the chapter shows that millions of
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people do the same in the real world outside the laboratories, whatever the media say [...] Chapter 3 considers political partisanship and party identification - that is, strong attachments to political ideas, values, and organizations. Experiments show that people are likely to engage in belief preservation where partisan opinions are concerned, and the same seems to be true of partisans in the outside world [...] Chapter 4 broadens the scope of inquiry to examine how non-partisanship and non-party political beliefs and values can influence the ways the majoritiy of individuals receive and process news reports and draw conclusions from them [...] The first eight chapters deal mainly with the micro, demand side of the equation - but there is also the macro, supply side of news media systems. Supply and demand are often analyzed separately, although understanding media effects requires examining the interaction between them [...] Chapter 9 compares commercial and public service broadcasting, showing that they have different effects on political knowledge, trust, participation, and democratic support. Chapter 10 turns to the classic theory of news media pluralism as a cornerstone of modern democracy [...] The research strategy of this book involves comparing and contrasting a large number of studies of media effects on political attitudes and behavior in order to compare and contrast the conclusions they reach. The book does not merely traingulate in order to reach reliabe conclusions, but it polyangulates, using many different studies written by sociologists, political scientists, psychologists, and economists who employ a variety of methods to investigate many possible media effects on politics. American and British research is used in the main, but single-country research on Russia, the Netherlands, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and Belgium is included, as are comparative studies of European Union member states." (Chapter 1, page 2-5)
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"The information ecosystem in DRC is fragmented and fragile. It is characterised by a great number of media outlets, however their level of professionalism is low and their vulnerability to partisan capture is high. This fragility is replicated in the online space. The Congolese population rely heav
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ily on informal sources of information such as word of mouth, interpersonal communication with family and friends. The scarcity of reliable information open avenues for the rumours and misinformation to spread. This context presents serious challenges for the promotion of good governance and accountability that requires well informed citizens. To better address those challenges, it is necessary to understand the main sources and dynamics of information flows both offline and online, and through media and non-media channels. A consortium composed of Fondation Hirondelle (FH), Demos, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) and the Institut Congolais de Recherche en Développement et Etudes Stratégiques (ICREDES) was created in order to provide a more holistic view of the Congolese information ecosystem and to identify opportunities for entry. Due to the limited time and resources of the study, and because of the pre-existing networks and capacities of the consortium in this region, its focus is on North Kivu. To identify the voices, networks and themes that dominated this information ecosystem in this region, three levels of analysis were chosen: 1. The sources and level of information of the local populations. This analysis was provided by HHI that implemented household surveys of large samples of populations in Eastern DRC; 2. The sources of information of local journalists. This analysis was provided by FH that surveyed a network of 18 local radios in North Kivu; 3. The network and content analysis of digital and social media provided by DEMOS [...] Findings: Radio is the primary media source of information for the population of Eastern DRC (78% of the sample listens to it occasionally and 43% daily [...] The main sources of information depend on the context and the nature of the information people are seeking [...] The results highlight the lack of reliability of information sources (46% of respondents expressed a moderate to high level of confidence in local radio, and 39% for national radio) ..." (Executive summary)
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"Transparency is an oft-cited remedy for the public’s lack of confidence in the news media. Yet scant empirical evidence exists to support this claim. This article presents a test of the relationship between increased journalistic transparency and credibility evaluations of a news organization. Ex
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perimental results suggest that increasing transparency (by providing news consumers with information about why and how a story was written, details about the story’s author, etc.) leads to an increase in credibility evaluations and intentions to engage with news. These results hold across the three different article topics used in our experiment and regardless of the participants’ political ideology. Implications for news organizations and contributions to theory are discussed." (Abstract)
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"The Media Programme South East Europe of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) has taken a closer look at the current situation and developments of public service media in South East Europe the last couple of months. In a current representative opinion poll, over 10 000 people from all ten countries,
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which are covered by the Media Programme, were interviewed. How important do people find public service media for democracy? How much do they trust them? How should they be financed and what content shall be broadcast? And are PSM considered politically independent? [...] Hereinafter you’ll find the summarised results for the entire region and some special findings for the individual countries." (Page 1)
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"The findings of this research show that Syrians, regardless of the party in power in the area in which they reside, have a shared definition of independent media. They define it as “unbiased”, “not favouring any side”, and “credible”. Syrian audiences involved in the research emerge as
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astute consumers who expect that the media deliver balanced reporting. In addition, media are expected to play a positive and constructive role in society. According to the Syrians interviewed, this is particularly needed regarding conflict resolution and accountability of the political actors. Moreover, Syrian (both audiences and journalists) express a need not only for crisis-related news, but also stories related to everyday life. Syrian media professionals have a long way to go to fulfil the high expectations Syrians have. From the in-depth interviews it is apparent that currently Syrians are very critical – and even negative – about the role and content of media organisations." (Executive summary)
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"This 2019 report pays special attention to social media and social media influencers even as it focuses heavily on news media. As always, we look at media use by platform and content while also honing in both generally and in detail on the use of the internet. As a member of the World Internet Proj
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ect based at the USC Annenberg School for Communication, we contribute to that global survey and are the sole source of Middle East regional data." (Introduction, page 6)
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"Nove em cada 10 adultos conectados escutam rádio off-line. O rádio é o meio líder em confiança no Brasil. 64% percebem que a maioria das notícias consumidas no rádio é verdadeira. Mais da metade dos ouvintes brasileiros ligam o rádio porque querem se informar. Quando usado de forma combina
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da, o rádio fortalece todas as mídias. A junção do rádio com revista, por exemplo, atinge quase três vezes mais consumidores do que quando se investe apenas no meio revista. Mais de 10 mil emissoras funcionam no Brasil. Cerca de metade delas é comercial. A faixa entre 6h e 18h concentra 3/4 de toda a audiência do rádio. Perfil do ouvinte de rádio é muito semelhante ao da população em geral. Patamar de alcance do rádio no Brasil é semelhante ao dos maiores mercados do mundo. Oito em cada 10 possuem rádio convencional. Um em cada cinco ouvintes escuta rádio pelo celular. Cresce o consumo de rádio on-line através do smartphone. Cerca de um em cada quatro ouvintes escuta rádio no carro. Em apenas cinco anos, dobrou a escuta de rádio pelo celular e quase triplicou o consumo pelo computador e em outros equipamentos." (Destaques, página 25)
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"The survey discovers that the Albanian public, in its overwhelming majority, considers that the media has great importance for the democracy of a country. However, although they recognize the very important role of the media vis-à-vis democracy, about half of respondents say that Albanian media ha
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ve served democracy and public interest somewhat.The surveyed Albanian public also considers that media in Albania are partially free. This perception and evaluation are in line with Freedom House and other international institutions, which classify Albanian media as partially free. Respondents said that the three greatest problems for Albanian media are: 1. Bias, partisanship, and political clientelism; 2. dependence on business interests of media owners, and 3. verbal violence and physical threats toward journalists. The prevalence of such very serious problems for the functioning of the media and the fulfillment of its public mission explains the fact why Albanian media are partially free. On the other hand, the presence of such issues at the top of the list of problems demonstrates serious shortcomings and challenges with regard to aspects of their freedom and independence." (Summary)
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